


you're half of me now

by alexjulies



Category: Julie and The Phantoms (TV)
Genre: 2k words all because i once imagined luke smoking after shows, Alternate Universe - 1990s, F/M, all characters are 21+, bartender!julie, social smoker!luke, sunset curve au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-24
Updated: 2021-01-24
Packaged: 2021-03-16 20:14:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,384
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28962279
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alexjulies/pseuds/alexjulies
Summary: “you’re gonna lose that voice of yours if you keep lighting up after shows, sunset.”he barely has time to register what’s happening before she’s pulled the unlit cigarette from his lips and stamped it into the ground. luke starts to argue, but then he realizes the voice belongs to the bartender he spent half their performance watching, and.well.“my name is luke.”“i know. i’m julie."
Relationships: Julie Molina/Luke Patterson
Comments: 33
Kudos: 325





	you're half of me now

**Author's Note:**

> obviously, smoking is unhealthy and i am not at all advocating for it. but i'm also saying that the boys were in a rock band in the 90s and you can't tell me it wasn't something that happened at least _once_.
> 
> this takes place in the 90s. all characters are in their twenties because alcohol and adulthood, but mostly because i do what i want.

the ‘ _sunset curve’_ showcase performance at the orpheum changes everything.

he’s celebrating with the boys in the alley behind the venue, passing around a bottle of cheap whiskey and a pack of cigarettes. it’s late, he knows - early, maybe. the edges of the sky on the horizon are just barely shifting from black to blue. it feels like the beginning and the ending of a day all at once.

it’s fitting.

“a _record deal_ ,” he laughs, handing the bottle of liquor to alex. “holy hell, boys.”

alex takes a swig from the bottle, immediately coughing and shaking his head as he passes the bottle to reggie. “god, that stuff’s awful.”

“well, soon we’ll be able to _afford_ the good stuff,” reggie points out. “until then, we’ve gotta drink this shit.”

“oh my god, no one is _forcing_ us,” alex replies. 

reggie holds the bottle out to him again. 

alex takes another swig. 

luke shakes his head, laughing as he puts a cigarette between his lips. “idiots,” he mutters fondly, bringing the lighter to his mouth. he watches the flame dance in the wind and then —

“you’re gonna lose that voice of yours if you keep lighting up after shows, sunset.”

he barely has time to register what’s happening before she’s pulled the unlit cigarette from his lips and stamped it into the ground. luke starts to argue, but then he realizes the voice belongs to the bartender he spent half their performance watching, and.

well.

“my name is luke.”

“i know. i’m julie,” she replies, picking up the garbage bags at her sides and taking them toward the dumpster. “do you guys always party like this? dark alley that smells like - actually, i don’t want to know what that smell is.” 

he grins. “what, you upset you didn’t get an invite, julie?”

alex and reggie share a look. 

alex sighs. reggie laughs.

julie turns and walks back toward them, curls falling to frame her face from the bun on top of her head. she eyes the bottle of whiskey in reggie’s hand and grimaces. meeting luke’s eyes, she asks, “if i get you a bottle of something that doesn’t taste like paint thinner, does that get me into your party?”

luke responds before he can stop himself.

“gets you anywhere you want.”

julie rolls her eyes, but she’s smiling. “gimme a few minutes. don’t light up while i’m gone.”

“but it’s tradition,” luke replies.

julie shrugs. “start a new one.”

when she’s back inside, luke turns to look at alex and reggie and finds them both smiling. “what?”

reggie snorts. “dude.”

“yeah,” alex says, shaking his head. “you’re gone on her already.”

“i am not,” luke argues. “she’s cute, yeah, but…”

alex completely ignores him. “reggie, wanna place bets on how long it takes him to screw it up?”

“oh, like, two weeks,” reggie says, shaking alex’s hand. “you want over or under?”

“under,” alex replies. “two weeks is generous.”

luke rolls his eyes. “i hate you guys. the band’s breaking up.”

the sound of their laughter echoes down the alley.

//

she spends the rest of the night with them, congratulating them on their success and drinking all three of them under the table. alex and reggie pass out around the same time, using each other as a pillow and snoring quietly in tandem. 

the sun’s rising when julie mentions a specific chord progression in one of their songs and luke _grins_.

“oh man, julie, you’re a _musician_ , aren’t you?”

julie shrugs, thumb scratching at the label on the now empty bottle in her hand. “hard to call yourself a musician when you’re just serving drinks to the _actual_ musicians.”

he’s more than a little buzzed, but he hears the hurt in her voice all the same. resting his hand over her knee, he murmurs, “hey. music lives _inside_ of you. it’s who you are. it’s not a job. you might get a paycheck because you’re a bartender, but that doesn’t mean you aren’t a musician.”

julie eyes him a moment. the corner of her mouth lifts in a smile as she says, “that was surprisingly coherent considering the number of shots you’ve had.”

his eyes drop to her mouth. back up to meet her gaze.

“julie,” he says quietly.

she swallows. her lips part on an exhale, and luke leans forward to kiss her gently.

when he pulls back, she whispers, “you always kiss the girls after your shows, sunset?”

“nah,” he answers, still close enough that he can feel her breath against his lips. “just - i dunno. wanted to kiss _you_.”

she hums. “well. you still taste like smoke somehow. thought i got that cigarette away from you fast enough.”

“guess you’ll have to be faster next time.”

laughing softly, julie asks, “this gonna be your new tradition, luke? finding a girl to kiss so you don’t light up after a show?”

he doesn’t hesitate. “only if that girl’s you, jules.”

she kisses him again.

//

it sort of _does_ become his new tradition.

sometimes, she’s working so she can’t join them until after the show. but when she does, luke pulls a cigarette from his pocket and puts it between his lips. grins as he lights it, as he watches julie step closer to him to take the cigarette and replace it with a kiss instead.

but sometimes, she’s in the crowd when they play. he sings right to her, watches her sing along and feels something in his world _shift_ every time he hears her voice over the rest of the crowd. it’s elegance and beauty, power and strength all at once. just like the rest of her.

he can hear her belt a harmony right along with him as he sings, a bright grin on her lips, her nose scrunching as she echoes his lyrics right back to him, and luke’s heart drops into the pit of his stomach.

he’s in love with this girl.

//

they’re at his apartment a few months later, his chest pressed against her back as they ignore the morning sun drifting in through his blinds. he knows she’s awake - her fingers are running up and down the length of his forearm where it’s curled over her stomach, nails scratching gently against his skin. he kisses the back of her shoulder and softly asks, “you write your own music, yeah?”

julie hums gently. “yeah. a few songs.”

“play one for me?”

her fingers still on his arm. he kisses her shoulder again, whispers assurances into her skin, and smiles when she scoots toward the edge of the bed. she picks up his jacket from the floor and pulls it on, wrapping it around her as she goes to sit at the keyboard in the corner of his room. he can see the tension in her shoulders and he softly says, “it’s just me, jules. take your time.”

she starts to play and luke sits up, watching her as she sings. it’s breathtaking; the sunlight, her sleepwarm voice, the melody her fingers pull from his keyboard, the _joy_ in her smile as she shares this with him.

when she’s finished, luke pads over to her and kisses her gently. his fingers itch for the phantom feeling of a cigarette and it makes him smile against her mouth.

“what?” she asks.

luke shakes his head. “just, uh. need a cigarette. my usual post-concert routine.”

“that wasn’t a concert, sunset,” she replies, but there’s a sparkle in her eyes.

“agree to disagree, boss.”

//

the day sunset curve officially announces a countrywide tour, luke’s first instinct is to invite julie along.

she glances at him when he suggests it, halfway into her shift at the orpheum, a towel thrown over her shoulder as she works behind the bar. “you want me to come with you on a tour across the country.”

“yeah! come on, jules, it’d be awesome. you, me, and the boys? we’d get to see all the sights, play kickass shows, party all the time. you could even join us onstage to drop some kickass harmonies with that voice of yours.”

julie doesn’t smile.

“you want me to come with you,” she says again. “drop everything and just. go with you around the country. to, what, to be your groupie?”

“what? no. just - ”

“i have a job, luke,” she cuts in, pulling a few bottles from the fridge to hand off to one of the waiters. “i have bills to pay. i can’t just pick up and leave to spend three months on a tour around the country with you.”

luke sits up straighter on his barstool. “no, i know. i thought - i mean, what if we booked some gigs for you, too? like, some local venues and stuff along the way. then you…”

“luke. stop.”

the anger in her voice catches him offguard, his body sinking back onto his stool. “i’m - jules, i’m sorry, i just. i thought…”

“i think you should go,” she says, wiping down the bar. “i’m working and it’s busy and i’m not doing this right now.”

“julie, i didn’t mean to…”

“go, luke.”

she turns her back to him and makes her way to the other end of the bar. he watches her for a long moment, sees the rigidity in her usually fluid movements, and forces himself to get up and leave like she asked.

//

he doesn’t hear from her for a few days after that. alex and reggie ask for a play by play to try to help him, but luke finds he can’t remember much aside from the hurt in julie’s voice and the anger in her eyes.

“what if that’s it, man?” he asks alex one night, tuning his guitar before their show. “was that, like - did we break up?”

alex asks, “were you officially dating?”

luke realizes he doesn’t actually know.

“maybe that’s where you start if and when she’s ready to talk, bud,” reggie offers. “figure out where you’re at.”

“i’m in love with her,” luke says plainly.

alex and reggie both reply, “we know.”

“but, you know,” alex continues. “make sure _she_ knows that.”

//

she isn’t at their show that night.

afterwards, luke walks alone to the beach near the venue and sits in the sand. he goes through the muscle memory of pulling a cigarette from his pocket and lighting it, and then -

then there’s no one to take the poison from his lips.

he lets the cigarette burn away to nothing between his fingers. feels the phantom press of her lips against his and tries to bury the ache in his chest.

//

two days before they’re due to leave for tour, julie shows up at his apartment.

“hi,” she greets quietly.

“hey,” he whispers. “hi. uh. come in.”

he steps back to let her inside, heart clenching at the thought that she’ll decline the offer, but she meets his eyes and nods. makes her way into his apartment and onto his couch, and something inside him releases.

luke starts apologizing before he even has the door closed. 

“julie, i’m so sorry. i shouldn’t have just sprung that shit on you. it was…”

she clears her throat and luke stops, going to sit next to her and taking a breath instead.

he meets her eyes and offers, “i really am sorry for upsetting you. i don’t want you to think you’re just some girl, jules.”

“i know,” she replies, nodding. “i’m sorry, too. i was angry and - that whole conversation probably wasn’t one we should have had while i was working.”

“definitely not,” luke agrees. “i was just, y’know. impatient and excited.”

“like always,” she says fondly. “look, i was upset with you because - luke, if i do end up pursuing my music, i want to do it myself, okay? i don’t want you or your band or your label setting up things for me. it needs to be on _my_ terms. i just. i don’t ever want to feel like i got special treatment because of who i know or - or who i’m…”

she trails off, and luke can see the question in her eyes when she meets his gaze.

_who i’m dating? who i’m hooking up with?_

“who your - your boyfriend is,” he finishes for her, and the relief in her eyes answers the question in his tone.

“yeah,” she says. “yes. that. does that make sense?”

“absolutely,” luke replies, taking her hand. “you’re - god, julie, i should’ve told you a long time ago. you’re not just some girl to me. you’ve _never_ been just some girl. inviting you on tour with us was just me wanting to have you by my side for it all.”

she smiles, running her thumb over the back of his hand. “and maybe one day we can do that. but for now, i’m gonna stay here while you tour, and in three months when you get back to play your hometown show, i’ll be front row singing every word.”

“i love you, you know,” he murmurs, leaning in.

he feels her answering whisper against his lips.

_love you, too, sunset._

//

when they’re loading up the tour bus, julie’s there to see them off. she shares hugs with alex and reggie, promising to answer the phone if they call to ask her for help in figuring out a harmony or dealing with a drunken luke.

alex and reggie board the bus. luke pulls the pack of cigarettes from his pocket and hands them to her.

“what do you want me to do with these?”

shrugging, luke says, “hold onto ‘em for me. my girlfriend doesn’t like it when i smoke after shows.”

julie smiles, her nose wrinkling as she teases, “your girlfriend, huh? she sounds like a keeper.”

“yeah,” luke replies, eyes soft. “yeah, i think she is.”

//

after their first show, luke finds a payphone and calls her.

her immediate greeting is, “you better not have bought a pack of cigarettes.”

“i didn’t!” he insists, a clicking noise echoing over the line. “i just wanted to tell you how the show went. and say the boys and i miss you.”

“....what is that sound?”

“oh, it’s probably my guitar pick. i’m chewing on it so i _don’t_ go and buy a pack.”

“somehow,” julie sighs, “i think i’m going to be even more annoyed by that.”


End file.
